Dave Shattuck

ECE 3336
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Introduction to Circuits & Electronics

Lecture Set #15

Introduction to Amplifiers

Dr. Dave Shattuck

Associate Professor, ECE Dept.

Shattuck@uh.edu
713 743-4422
W326-D3
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Introduction to Electronics

• Why do we study Electronics?

– Answer: Because it is a required part of
the curriculum.
• OK. Why is Electronics a required part
of the curriculum?
– Answer: Because electronic solutions to
problems are reliable, flexible, easy to
apply, and cheap.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Signals

• Electronics is largely a field where we process

signals. Therefore, we need to understand
what we mean by the word “signal”.
• Signals are a means of conveying information.
Signals are inherently time varying quantities,
since information is unpredictable, by definition.
There is no such thing as a “dc signal,” or a
“constant signal”, strictly speaking.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Signals

• Signals are a means of conveying information.

Signals are inherently time varying quantities,
since information is unpredictable, by definition.
There is no such thing as a “dc signal,” or a
“constant signal”, strictly speaking.
• Example of information: Phone conversation.
• Example of no information: Phone
conversation between me and my grandmother.
This conversation is completely predictable.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Signals
• Signals are a means of conveying information.
Signals are inherently time varying quantities,
since information is unpredictable, by definition.
There is no such thing as a “dc signal,” or a
“constant signal”, strictly speaking.
• Electronics is largely a way to process signals.
We use voltage or current to represent signals.
As the signal changes with time, so does the
voltage or the current.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Signals
• Electronics is largely a way to process signals.
We use voltage or current to represent signals.
As the signal changes with time, so does the
voltage or the current.

Picture taken from Hambley,

1st Edition
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Analog and Digital Signals

• Signals are a means of conveying information.
Signals are inherently time varying quantities,
since information is unpredictable, by definition.
• We can have analog and digital signals.
• Analog signals are signals that can take on a
continuum of values, continuously with time.
• Digital signals are signals that take on discrete
values, at discrete points in time.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Analog and Digital Signals

• Analog signals are signals that can take on a
continuum of values, continuously with time. Digital
signals are signals that take on discrete values, at
discrete points in time.
• Most real signals are analog. Digital signals seem to
be moving into more and more areas. Which is better,
analog or digital?
•Answer: It depends. Despite great debate, the
answer depends on the application, the state of the
art, and sometimes $. Eventually, most signals must
be analog, but the choice of when and how to convert
is the kind of thing an engineer is paid to decide.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Amplifiers
• Amplifiers form the basis for much of this
course. It makes sense that we try to
understand them.
• The key idea is that amplifiers give us power
gain.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Amplifiers
• Amplifiers form the basis for
much of this course. It
makes sense that we try to
understand them.
• The key idea is that
amplifiers give us power
gain.
• How do we get an amplifier?
How do we do it?
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Amplifiers

• How do we get an amplifier? How

do we do it?
• It requires a new kind of
component. We invariably use the
transistor. (Another type of device
that would work is the vacuum
tube.)
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Amplifiers
•Amplifiers require a new kind of
component. We invariably use the
transistor. We wish to consider the
concept of how it works. Two key
points:
1.We amplify signals, which are
time varying quantities.
2.The amplified signals have more
power. We need to get the power
from somewhere. We get the power
from what we call dc power supplies.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Lake Erie Model of Amplifiers

•It is useful (I hope) to go to a mechanical
analogy at this point. Consider the Lake Erie
model of the amplifier, drawn on the board.
•Note that without the lake (the constant
potential power supply), the amplifier cannot work.
That is where the power comes from.
1.We amplify signals, which are time varying
quantities.
2.The amplified signals have more power. We
need to get the power from somewhere. We get
the power from what we call dc power supplies.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•Note that we are beginning to make a
big distinction between things that vary
(signals) and things that stay the same
(power supplies). We will use a shorthand
notation to make these distinctions easy to
convey. In fact, we use a variety of
commonly accepted conventions in
electronics. A set of conventions that we
will use follows.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•The reference points for voltages are
usually defined, and called ground, or
common. Ground is the more common
term, although it may have no relationship
to the potential of the earth.
•Below we show some common
symbols for common or ground.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•vA, VA, va, Va – all of these refer
to the voltage at point A with
respect to ground. Notice that
there is a polarity defined by this
A notation. This notation also means
+ that we do not have to label the +
vA and – signs on a circuit schematic
to define the voltage. Once point A
- is labeled, the voltages vA, VA, va,
and Va, are defined.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•vAB, VAB, vab, Vab - refer to the
voltage at point A with respect to
point B . Notice that there is a
polarity defined by this. This
A notation also means that we do not
+ have to label the + and – signs on a
vAB circuit schematic to define the
voltage. Once points A and B are
- labeled, the voltages vAB, VAB, vab,
B and Vab, are defined.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•Current polarities are shown with an
arrow. Thus, current polarities must be
defined, and the easiest way to do this is
with an arrow on the circuit schematic.

iA
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•vA is the total instantaneous quantity
(lowercaseUPPERCASE).
• VA is the dc component,
nonvarying part of a quantity
A (UPPERCASEUPPERCASE).
+ • va is the ac component, varying
vA part of a quantity (lowercaselowercase).
- •The total instantaneous quantity is
equal to the sum of the dc component
and the ac component. That is, it is true
that vA = VA + va.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•vA is the total instantaneous quantity (lowercaseUPPERCASE).
• VA is the dc component, nonvarying part of a quantity
(UPPERCASEUPPERCASE).
• va is the ac component, varying part of a quantity
(lowercaselowercase).
•BACKGROUND: Any quantity as a function
of time can be broken down to a sum of a dc
component (the average value or the mean
value) and an ac component (a time-varying
signal with zero mean). This is important to us
in particular because signals are ac and power
supplies are dc.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
•Va is the phasor quantity
(UPPERCASElowercase). (You don’t need bars.)
• VAA - Power supply, dc value,
connected to terminal a . Note that the double
subscript would otherwise have no value, since
the voltage at any point with respect to that
same point is zero.
• Generally, lowercase variables refer to
quantities which can/do change, and uppercase
variables to constant quantities.
• Va,rms refers to an rms phasor value.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
The Phoenician says that:
• Voltage gain Av is the ratio of the
voltage at the output to the voltage at the input.

vo
Av 
vi
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
The Phoenician says that:
• Current gain Ai is the ratio of the
current at the output to the current at the input.

io
Ai 
ii
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
The Phoenician says that:
• Power gain Ap is the ratio of the power
at the output to the power at the input.

po
Ap 
pi
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
The Phoenician says that:
• A dB (deciBel) is a popular,
logarithmic relationship for these gains.
• Voltage gain in dB is 20(log10|Av|).
• Current gain in dB is 20(log10|Ai|).
• Power gain in dB is 10(log10|Ap|).
•Some people try to explain the factors
of 10 and 20. These explanations are
true, but bizarre, and somewhat beside the
point. We simply need to know them.
 Dave Shattuck
University of Houston

© University of Houston

Notation
• Voltage gain in dB is 20(log10|Av|).
• Current gain in dB is 20(log10|Ai|).
• Power gain in dB is 10(log10|Ap|).
•The key is to get these values,
especially the power gain, to be greater
than 1 (or 0[dB]). Thus, we move to
amplifiers next.
 Dave Shattuck

So what is the point of all this?

University of Houston

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• We are going to look at amplifiers, specifically

at a device called the operational amplifier.
This is the simplest, useful, tool in electronics.
• If you were going to know anything about
electronics, you would want to know about the
subject of amplification. We will attack this
through the simplest possible tool, the
operational amplifier, also known as the op
amp.

Go back to
Overview
slide.